A National Academy of Medicine doctor and John Hopkins researcher published a blog on January 4 encouraging parents and students to "challenge" the COVID-19 policies of the academe after presenting information that such policies "defy science and reason."
Surgeon and medical commentator Dr. Marty Makary condemned universities for their "cruel" COVID 19 policies that are contrary to science and reason. Makary, author of the New York Best-selling novel, "The Price We Pay," announced the effectiveness of his blog post, stating that it ia already creating a positive reaction to its intended beneficiaries.
"Here's the article I discussed this evening. The good news is since it was published 4 days ago, hundreds of university students, parents, alumni, & donors have told me they reached out to their school administrators to talk to them about these issues," Makary tweeted on Sunday, linking to the blog.
In the blog "Common Sense," Makary identified universities that he classified as "some of America's most prestigious" yet defy the very purpose of their institution, which is to be "bastions of critical thinking, reason, and logic."
"Universities are supposed to be bastions of critical thinking, reason and logic. But the Covid policies they have adopted-policies that have derailed two years of students' education and threaten to upend the upcoming spring semester-have exposed them as nonsensical, anti-scientific and often downright cruel," Makary highlighted.
For one, he cited Georgetown University, where fully vaccinated students were randomly tested every week for COVID-19 through a PCR test. Makary said students of Georgetown University identified as positive but asymptomatic through the test are confined in a particular room, located in a designated building for ten days. Students are given food rations once a day, dropped at their rooms' doors.
Makary also named Princeton University, Cornell, Emerson College, and Amherst as part of the schools that implement unreasonable and unscientific COVID-19 policies.
Makary revealed that he was able to talk to students from Georgetown who conveyed intent to transfer to another university after experiencing the mandatory quarantine. He reached out to the University's Health Officer, Dr. Ranit Mishori, regarding the new policy of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shortened quarantine periods to five days. Mishori said the university retains the ten-day quarantine despite the CDC new policy.
Makary raised that the university's policy is contrary to science because "students are the lowest risk population on planet Earth," with data from the past six months showing that "the risk of a person in the broader age group (15-24) dying of COVID or dying with COVID (the CDC does not clearly distinguish), was 0.001%."
"All or nearly all of those deaths were in a very specific subgroup: unvaccinated people with a medical comorbidity. But despite Georgetown's strict vaccination, masking, testing, and quarantine requirements, the university announced late last month that 'all University events, including meetings with visitors, will need to be held virtually or outdoors,' among many other restrictions," Makari said.
Princetown implements a similar policy wherein students are tested weekly--not just once but twice. The university also prohibits students to leave the county despite being fully vaccinated unless they are part of the sports team.
Emerson College mirrors these policies of twice weekly testing for students alongside a stay-indoors requirement. Students are prohibited from leaving their "residence halls or place of residence" except "for testing, meals, medical appointments, necessary employment, or to get mail."
Cornell continues with a masking policy that includes the outdoors. Students in Amherst are similarly required to wear masks but specifically are required to double mask if they are not using a KN95 mask.
Makary underscored that "not a college student" was reported to have ended up in the hospital for COVID based on CDC data, citing that the average age of those hospitalized was 72. He also pointed to data from the beginning of the pandemic showing that "the risk of COVID to young people has always been extremely low" at 0.00% to 0.27% of all COVID deaths as per the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Concerned citizens should challenge medical dogma with data. It's time to learn to live with Covid by using some common sense practices: If you're sick, stay home. If you're around someone vulnerable, be careful. If you've been exposed, wear a real, quality, N95 mask. For the young who have natural or vaccinated immunity, it's a mild virus that will circulate for the rest of their lives," Makary emphasized.
